England Made Me (film)
| England Made Me | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Original British quad poster | |
| Directed by | Peter Duffell |
| Written by | Desmond Cory Peter Duffell |
| Based on | the novel by Graham Greene |
| Produced by | Jack Levin |
| Starring | Peter Finch Michael York Hildegarde Neil |
| Cinematography | Ray Parslow |
| Edited by | Malcolm Cooke |
| Music by | John Scott |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Hemdale Film Distribution (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
England Made Me is a 1973 British drama film directed by Peter Duffell, starring Peter Finch, Michael York, Hildegarde Neil, and Michael Hordern, and based on the 1935 novel England Made Me by Graham Greene.[1] Tony Wollard's art direction was nominated for a British BAFTA Award.[2] The film changes the novel's setting from Sweden to Nazi Germany. Duffel explained that he changed the location due to his lack of knowledge of Sweden in the 1930s, the use of imagery the audience would recognise and the growing menace in Europe of the time.[3]
Plot
[edit]Anthony Farrant (York) is a naive 1930s businessman who pays a visit to Germany on the way home from a business trip, and falls under the politically dubious spell of charismatic financier Erich Krogh (Finch). While Anthony was taught to value fairness and decency, in Erich's world opportunism, corruption, and decadence hold sway.
Main cast
[edit]- Peter Finch - Erich Krogh
- Michael York - Anthony Farrant
- Hildegarde Neil - Kate Farrant
- Joss Ackland - Haller
- Michael Hordern - F. Minty
- Tessa Wyatt - Liz Davidge
- Michael Sheard - Fromm
- Richard Gibson - Young Tony
- Lalla Ward - Young Kate
- William Baskiville - Stein
- Demeter Bitenc - Reichsminister
- Vladan Živković - Heinrich
- Vlado Bacic - Hartmann
- Mirjana Nikolic - Nikki
Critical reception
[edit]The New York Times wrote of the film, "England Made Me might have worked, were Mr. Duffell and Mr. Cory less superficial movie makers. They've retained a surprising amount of the Greene plot, even a lot of original dialogue, but the story is no longer comic and rueful, just wildly melodramatic";[4] whereas Film 4 called it "an underrated adaptation of Graham Greene's novel ... Although it received little attention when first released, this fascinating character study is ripe for reappraisal now, with the relationship between the two men making for quietly gripping viewing."[5]
References
[edit]- ^ "BFI Database entry". BFI. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009.
- ^ Mark Deming (2014). "England-Made-Me – Trailer – Cast – Showtimes – NYTimes.com". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014.
- ^ p. 155 Sinyard, N. Graham Greene: A Literary Life Springer, 19 Dec. 2003
- ^ "Movie Review – Film:'England Made Me':Novel by Greene' Is Lost in Adaptation – NYTimes.com". The New York Times. 11 February 2022.
- ^ "Film4 | Channel 4". www.channel4.com. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
External links
[edit]
 | This article related to a British film of the 1970s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1973 films
- Films directed by Peter Duffell
- 1970s historical drama films
- Films based on works by Graham Greene
- Films based on British novels
- British historical drama films
- Films set in Germany
- Films set in the 1930s
- Films about businesspeople
- Films scored by John Scott (composer)
- 1973 drama films
- 1970s English-language films
- 1970s British films
- 1970s British film stubs